A Memorable Gourmet Theatre Experience @ Broadway, HSR

Gourmet cuisine experience though been around for a while now is catching up as a trend in India.Bangalore being one of the cities to boast of excellent dining experiences has it’s fair share of molecular gastronomy and gourmet restaurants.

Though I have been to one of the most talked about restaurants in Bangalore to experience their molecular gastronomical experience, I walked away disappointed. Hence an invite from Broadway was accepted with a little bit of apprehension and of course an open mind.

Considering they have named their restaurant Broadway with an additional Gourmet Theatre tag line, expectations are quite high when it comes to presentation.

The ambience speaks of an understated elegance combined with a feel of a casual dining experience at the same time.

The restaurant has 2 levels of seating, one on the 4th floor which houses the live Teppanyaki counter, the bar, an indoor seating as well as an outside seating area. The upper level is mainly for larger parties and is open to public access when the lower level seating is filled.

The live Teppanyaki counter is manned by a pleasant and ever smiling Chef Shiva who always has some tricks up his sleeve.

Coming to the menu, I was expecting more of Asian cuisine specially Japanese and South Asian but the mention of Indian and Mediterranean dishes surprised me. We were taken through the menu and their dishes by their General Manager, Mr.Ranjith.

We started our meal with a collection of Soups, followed by Sushi and Sashimi, Indian dishes, live Teppan experience and finally Desserts.

SOUPS:

MUSHROOM SOUP :

A common enough soup available in many restaurants but served in an unique way. Porcini mushroom being served in India is quite surprising as it is quite expensive. The soup consisted of Porcini and Button mushrooms smoked to add flavour to an already delicious soup.Served with a fish finger.

TOMATO TEA :

A simple Tomato flavoured tea ( yes you read right!) served into a colourful bouquet of mixed vegetables. Mild flavoured yet with just enough flavour to tingle your taste buds.

THE BAKSO CART (INDONESIAN):

Presentation is everything hence the recreation of an Indonesian roadside soup was presented in the way of a cart loaded with the ingredients to make your own soup. A light soup meant to awaken your appetite.

BEVERAGES:

LEMONGRASS VODKA:
They have just procured their alcohol license hence their bartender decided to try their in-house signature cocktail which turned out to be excellent.

GINGER CRUSH : This mocktail was prepared using the baby ginger used in the Sushi preparations and I must mention this drink was soothing and not strong especially for someone who does not like ginger.

SUSHI / SASHIMI :

VEGETARIAN MAKI PLATTER :

This platter was specifically made to give an idea of the different veg maki they offer. The platter consisted of Kapa Maki, Yasai Maki and Asuparagusu Maki. My personal favourite was the Kapa Maki.

SEAFOOD PLATTER :

A must try according to their Chef hence I tried a combination of maki, nigiri and sashimi.

California Maki – A very interesting maki made of crab sticks and avacado sprinkled with tobigo (fish egg). One of my favourites in this platter.

Nigiri is a type of sushi where a slice of raw fish is pressed over a ball of rice. Nigiri can be made with only seafood such as oyster, squid etc. I tried their Salmon Nigiri and Tuna Nigiriwhich were very good.

Sashimi refers to a slice of fresh fish is served without the rice. Often it is mistaken to be a kind of sushi though very much a Japanese preparation. It can be prepared using meat also.I tried their Tuna Sashimi and Sea Bass Sashimi. Though I have had Sashimi before, I am not particularly fond of it but the freshness of the seafood used here is excellent.

All their sushi and sashimi were accompanied by pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.

HATHODA CHICKEN :

A dish with Drama I have heard about from fellow foodies who have visited here. We were lucky enough to be able to enjoy the entire experience during this visit.

The dish is an entire chicken cooked in spices covered with banana leaves and clay. The final dish and its opening is where the drama lies as it is broken with meat tenderiser. The aroma is absolutely mouth watering and a very different tasting chicken dish.

OLIVE NAAN WITH SALAD AND TOMATO MAKHNI:

As an accompaniment to the Hathoda chicken, we were served with Naan, Salad and Tomato Makhni. The Naan made with bit of black olives was soft and tasty that I gorged down an entire piece without the need of any accompaniment. Their Olive Naan is a must try here.

LIVE TEPPANYAKI EXPERIENCE:

We moved over to the live counter to enjoy some of Chef Shiva’s tricks as well Teppan dishes.

GRILLED PRAWNS:

A dish prepared live always adds a special something to the dish. Though grilled, the prawns were soft and the sauce used was delicious.

JAPANESE FRIED RICE :

An egg preparation made as a part of the Chef’s parlour tricks.

DESSERTS:

MELTING GLOBE:

A chocolate ball seemed to be an very uneventful looking dessert turned out to be one of the highlights of my meal. Melted chocolate is poured over the globe to reveal the insides which consisted of a scoop of ice cream atop a warm brownie. This dish is drama at its best and tasted even better!

DARK CHOCOLATE VOLCANO:

After a dish like the melting globe it was time for a simple dessert and though this one did not have any drama attached to it, the dark chocolate was so good that I literally finished it single handedly.

Though I have been invited and personally visited many similarly themed restaurants in Bangalore and abroad, this has been one of my most memorable visits.

It has been only a week since I visited here and I am gung ho to take my entire family to experience this restaurant and its dishes. I would also recommend to visit here for dinner as it seems to an ideal place for a romantic dinner.

Broadway – A Gourmet Theatre for all its tricks, drama and presentation serves delicious and well thought dishes and holds a place in my list as a must visit restaurant in Bangalore.